”Blessed be those without pretense”: A hermeneutic-semiotic analysis of the institutionally produced storytelling theatre of Västerbotten is a bachelor thesis in Performance Studies. The study aims to examine and define the aesthetic and commonly occurring themes of the institutionally produced storytelling theatre of Västerbotten, and to discuss the representation of the citizens of Västerbotten on stage, which ideals and characteristics are desirable and which are not. The theoretical framework of this study is supported by ethnological and sociological theories about storytelling and the method used is performance analysis based on semiotics and hermeneutics. Seven performances between the years 1998-2021 are deconstructed and analyzed. The results show several reoccurring and common features of the storytelling theatre of Västerbotten, such as the shifting between the storyteller's present moment and the time period of the story, the important role music plays in the telling of the story and the common setting of the farming societies of the turn of the 19th to the 20th century. Other reoccurring themes are those of Christianity, socialism, food, farm animals, and squalor. The ideal characteristics identified were honesty, integrity, and a good work ethic. There is an ambition for cultural preservation present within the genre and a lack of representation of minorities.

The purpose of this essay is to examine what significance gender has in the novel Egenmäktigt förfarande, written by Lena Andersson, and in the adapted theater. The springboard for the essay topic is a debate about the so-called ”kulturmannen” which took place in the Swedish literature field a couple of years ago. My aim has been to shed light to the relationship between the main characters Ester Nilsson and Hugo Rask, to analyze what role their different gender plays. Further I have studied the masculinity of Hugo Rask. The analysis is based on Yvonne Hirdman’s gender theory, Raewyn Connell’s masculinity theory and an adaption theory by Linda Hutcheon. The methods that have been used is literature- and performance analysis of certain selected parts of the novel and theater. The result of my analysis indicate that gender influences the relationship between the two main characters. The male character Hugo Rask has a superior position in relation to Ester Nilsson which can be derived to his gender. Furthermore, I have concluded that Hugo Rask’s masculinity is hegemonic. The theater, which shown in the performance analysis, has an expressed comic image which stresses the unequal interest Ester Nilsson and Hugo Rask have for each other.

This essay explores the genre of In-Yer-Face theatre and its representation of women. In-Yer-Face theatre emerged in the 1990s in the UK, characterised by its confrontational style and provocative themes. While the genre is often associated with the portrayal of violence and aggression towards women, this essay explores how In-Yer-Face theatre may also offer a platform for women's stories and experiences. Through an analysis of The Censor, Blasted and the performances of Shopping and fucking and Look back in anger, the essay researches how In-Yer-Face theatre explores traditional gender roles and the ways in which women are often subjected to violence, exploitation, and objectification. The essay will use both a drama analysis and performance analysis of two plays and two performances from the genre to explore different views from the most prominent writers of the genre.Ultimately, this essay argues that In-Yer-Face theatre has an opportunity to offer a powerful and complex representation of women that demands critical engagement and interpretation but in many ways reproduces the societal norms.

CHILDHOOD REVOLUTION AT UNGA KLARA - A performance analysis of ’För att jag säger det’ from a gender perspective LINNÉA WÄISÄNEN Abstract The Swedish professional theatre for children and young audiences is in a constant change, development and renewal due to adulthoods shifting view and understanding of the child and childhood through the ages. The shifting discourse of childhood can be seen both in the various theatre performances for children and young audiences throughout the 20th century, but also in the constant shifting discussions and debates about what sort of performances are appropriate for children. The base of this thesis is a performance analysis of a recorded version of Unga Klara’s För att jag säger det from a gender perspective, with a focus on the stage setting and the mise-en-scène, along with the actors’ performative actions. The purpose is to examine if and how these theatrical signs counteracts or correlates with gender and hetero norms, but also investigate if the complex relationship between childhood and adulthood can be seen in the performance. To do this, I use a combination of hermeneutics, theatre semiotics and phenomenology as my main methodological starting point. Theories about gender performativity and discourse analysis in childhood studies serve as perspectives to the analysis and interpretation of the performance. The analysis starts with a brief introduction to the performance along with a discussion about the dramaturgical structure and the course of events and situations taking place in För att jag säger det. The analysis continues with a discussion about the theatrical space, in particular the stage space in relation to the starting point of the performance, along with the theatrical communication between the actors and the audience. Then, I discuss the theatrical signs that first caught my attention; the actors’ performative bodies and the music and stage sounds, where I analyse my comprehension of the actors’ performative bodies from a gender perspective. The analysis then continues to a more argument based interpretation of the interactions between the actors and the audience, and follows by a discussion of the actors impersonation of childhood and adulthood. In the last part of the analysis I identify and discuss my understanding of various themes and messages in För att jag säger det. The result of the study implies that a few sequences of the staging along with the actors’ performative bodies in För att jag säger det correlates to gender and hetero norms, but mostly the performance discourages normativity in general. The complex relationship between childhood and adulthood are however well established in the performance’s staging, and can be found in how the actors portraits childhood versus adulthood. It is also visible in the interactive communicational parts between the stage and the auditorium, which only occurs under the terms and conditions of the actors. Keywords: Unga Klara, gender, performativity, performance analysis, childhood revolution, theatre for children and young audiences